Join us for the opening of the exhibition A Tale of Two Icons and the Assam IPTA Movement: Hemango Biswas and Bhupen Hazarika curated by Rongili Biswas, on Saturday, September 02, 2017, at Jadunath Bhavan, Kolkata.

Hemango Biswas (1912-1987) was one of the founding members of the IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) movement, whose impact on modern Indian culture has been momentous. He was a famous composer, singer, cultural strategist and writer. Bhupen Hazarika (1926-2011) was a celebrated composer, singer, actor and filmmaker from Assam whose mellifluous voice and sublime compositions made him a legend in Indian music. The most important contribution of Hemango Biswas and Bhupen Hazarika together, was their role in confronting the linguistic riots in Assam in 1960. They formed a cultural troupe that toured across riot- torn Assam, an event that has no parallel in Indian history.

A Tale of Two Icons and the Assam IPTA Movement: Hemango Biswas and Bhupen Hazarika is an exhibition through which Rongili Biswas has reconstructed the spirit of the time when her father Hemango Biswas, and Bhupen Hazarika, embarked on the peace initiative with the artistes' troupe to counter the linguistic riots in Assam in 1960. This multi-media exhibition comprises archival photographs on the Assam IPTA chapter; a book titled Haradhon-Rongmon Katha: A Tale of Two Icons, that includes reports, letters and all other communication between Hemango Biswas and Bhupen Hazarika; an album of songs that were sung during the journey; a documentary film titled A Song for Everyone (the film will be shown on four days during the exhibition week). The exhibition will conclude on September 08, 2017 with a live performance by Rongili Biswas and her team.

Rongili Biswas is a singer and writer based in Kolkata. An economist by profession, she always had a passion for music. She has two music albums to her credit as well as several books including a novel and a collection of short stories. She has also published widely in reputed international/national journals. For the past few years she has been building up an archive of her father, the legendary musician Hemango Biswas.

Rongili Biswas received a fellowship from India Foundation for the Arts, under the Archival and Museum Fellowship initiative, with support from Tata Trusts.

*The photo exhibition will be on view from September 04, 2017 to September 08, 2017, from 11:00 AM to 05:00 PM.
The film, A Song for Everyone, will be screened once a day, except for September 07, 2017. Please check with the Museum for timings.